Undecided

[LGuertin]

My wife and I are in the process of
purchasing our first sailboat.
(Still taking my sailing class)
After seeing approx 20 boats in the SF bay
area, it should come down to about 3 boats
A Coronado 27 1977
A C&C 30, 1977
and a Islander 27, 1969
All in descent shape but with some
fixing up to do (mainly inside)
We are not looking at racing but mainly
spend the week-end on board enjoying the
bay, More like a country house on water
without having to drive 3 hours to get there.

What would be your recommendation.
Thanks

Larry

[hamiam]

I owned a 1982 C&C 30. Not sure if the design changed alot from 1977 to 1982 but I would not hesitate to recommend a C&C. We sailed her out of Newport RI and took voyages to CT, Block Island, Martha''s Vineyard and Nantucket. She was not too tender and offered basic but good accommodations for 4 people. Ours had a Yanmar Diesel. Good luck. Find a really good sureyor and have him do a thorough survey before buying anything.

[sailingfool]

I owned a 1977 C&C 30 for six years in the ''80s. Although we have moved on to bigger boats, the C&C 30 remains a sentimental favorite. You might check the C&C owners website for more info:
http://www.cncphotoalbum.com/

There should be a writeup of the 30 (this is a Mark I) somewnere on the site.

The 30 Mark I is an excellent sailing boat, we raced a lot and the boat was very competitive in performance. The general scuttlebutt was that the 30 Mark I was the stiffest model C&C ever made and we found it to be an outstanding boat for higher wind performance - should be ideal for SF Bay.

I''d say you have some apples and oranges on your list - the Islander and Coranado do not compare tot he C&C for consturction, design and performance. The only unique weakness to the 30 I remember is a tendancy for the wooden mast-step to rot, requiring replacement. Get on the owners email group and do a search - I''s expect there is a lot of history documented in messages. My advice would be to hook up with another 30 owner in SF and get a ride and first-hand advice - C&C owners (and perhaps especially 30 owners) tend to be passionate about the marque.

I''d buy another one in a second. Good luck.

[JWag]

LGuertin

A third vote for the C & C.